Italian citizenship by descent in 2026: requirements, documents and how to apply

Can you still get Italian citizenship by descent in 2026? Yes, but the rules changed in 2025 and they are now much stricter. An estimated 80 million people with Italian ancestry around the world, mainly in the Americas and Europe, and many of them grew up hearing they could “get an Italian passport”. In this article I explain the key elements as simply as I can, so you can understand the basics before you start.

DISCLAIMER: this is a simplified version of the official guidance published by the Italian Consulate in London. I’m a certified translator, not a legal adviser, so for the details check the consulate website.

Italian citizenship by descent las and the 2025 rule change

Italian citizenship by descent (jure sanguinis) is granted by birthright, simply because your “blood” is Italian. If you have an Italian ancestor, you could qualify for the same privileges as those born in Italy, and a European passport. I don’t think there were many countries with a law as generous as this one. Italy, a young state marked by mass emigration, wanted to keep an emotional and legal connection with those who had chosen to leave, so citizenship was tied to the bloodline and not the soil.

Then came 28 March 2025. Foreign Minister Antonio Trajani said the system was being abused: in the government’s view, many applicants wanted the passport, not the cultural ties. Add the backlogs in courts and consulates (anyone who has dealt with Italian administration knows this, unfortunately), and the Tajani decree became Law 74/2025 in May. Applications filed up to 27 March 2025 still follow the old rules.

Who qualifies for Italian citizenship by descent?

The new Italian citizenship by descent law applies to everyone over 18 who was born abroad and has an Italian parent or grandparent. If your grandparents were Italian, you can still get Italian citizenship, as long as one of these things is true:

• your Italian parent lived in Italy continuously for at least two years after obtaining citizenship and before you were born (years in Italy before that don’t count);
• your parent or grandparent is, or was at the moment of death, exclusively an Italian citizen.

The second point is where people get caught out. If your grandparent became, say, British or American, you won’t qualify, and a self-declaration won’t do: you have to prove it. And if your closest Italian ancestor is a great-grandparent or further back, the standard route is closed.

Italian citizenship by descent document checklist

Here is the list of documents for the case where your Italian ancestor helped only Italian citizenship. The case of the parent’s residence has its own list which is very similar, but check that too. Treat this as a starting point.

You:

• application form, to sign at the appointment in front of the consular officer;
• passport, plus a photocopy of the photo page;
• proof of address (a utility bill or council tax);
• original long-form birth certificate;
• marriage, divorce or spouse’s death certificates, if applicable.

Your Italian ancestor:

• certificate of residence records, from their last Italian municipality or AIRE;
• birth and marriage and divorce or death certificates;
• declarations of negative British Naturalisation from the National Archives and the Home Office.

Foreign documents must be legalised with an apostille and translated into Italian. Italian certificates must be original and recent, and British ones must come from the General Register Office.

How to apply

You can apply for Italian citizenship by descent in your country of residence, by booking an appointment on Prenot@Mi. It’s free, so don’t pay anyone who promises you an earlier slot. New slots are released every Monday and Wednesday at 5pm UK time, so make sure you log in then. Each applicant books their own slot, and ten days before you’ll get an email asking you to confirm, or the slot is cancelled.

On the day, bring all the documents in original, and don’t forget that they won’t be returned. The consular fee is €600, payable by British debit card, and it isn’t refunded whatever the outcome.

If you’re not British, your visa or residence permit needs three years of validity left on the day of appointment. Short-term visas aren’t accepted. The consulate can also ask for extra documents, so start collecting yours early: apostilles and translations take time.

Conclusion

As we saw, in 2026 it is still possible to obtain Italian citizenship by descent, but only if you satisfy the new requirements. It’s more demanding than it used to be, but manageable once you know what’s asked of you. Remember that this process is for adults only; if you wish to register your child, you may be interested in this other article I wrote. If you need help with certified translations for your citizenship application, write to me at info@katiuskaparra.com.